The manager of a hotel in Paphos spent hours on the roof of his establishment threatening to jump on Tuesday after the Guardian of Turkish Cypriot properties decided to reallocate an adjacent premise he was leasing as extra space.
Police and members of the force’s negotiating team were on the scene almost until 5pm when he was convinced to come down.
The man climbed on the roof at around 7.30am after members of the administration went to the hotel in the morning to take possession of the establishments in question.
The man, who runs a hotel in the city centre, had leased some Turkish Cypriot properties next to his premises.
According to an announcement from the Paphos municipality, the interior ministry which manages Turkish Cypriot properties leased the space to the local authorities, which have now reclaimed it.
The man took the interior minister and the Paphos municipality to court seeking a reversal of the decision but his request was rejected last week. The court ruled that his claim that the repossession of the property would cause irreparable damage to his business was not proven.
The municipality aims to redevelop the space and construct in the area a covered square to support surrounding shop owners who also lease Turkish Cypriot establishments and encourage growth of the restaurant businesses. It said that it will not be earning any proceeds from this project but rather it will spend a substantial amount on the redevelopment.
The director of the department for the management of Turkish Cypriot properties in Paphos, Maria Savvidou, said that the eviction was being done by the book.
Savvidou said that the space in question has now been given to the Paphos municipality and that contracts have already been signed with the local authority.
The service, she said, had launched legal action against the man over damage to the Turkish Cypriot property he was using.
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